• Published 5th Feb 2013
  • 19,767 Views, 848 Comments

The Overworked Alicorn - BreakDown



(First story) Have you ever heard of of a mare named Faust? She's an Alicorn, just like the Princesses, but not a princess herself. Some say she's a queen, some say she's their mother. The truth, well... she's really overworked.

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The Vacation: Day 1

The Vacation: Day 1

--

The town of Ponyville was settled many years ago by the Apple and Rich families. This quaint little town has retained a relatively peaceful setting even after so much time. It is well known for its famous Zap-Apple Jam and the ever popular Cider of Sweet Apple Acres. It is also known for how it retains the age-old traditions of Winter Wrap-Up, and for its close proximity to the notorious Everfree Forest, within which The Royal Pony Sisters once made their home…

Yet it is mostly known in this age, as the home of The Six Elements of Harmony.

But for the moment it is the place where Faust wishes to spend her vacation. It is a place of peace and tranquility, and just enough excitement to keep her entertained. Unfortunately her vacation is about to take a rather bumpy start. For you see it has obviously been quite some time since Faust has teleported anywhere outside of her tower. And as such she didn’t get the exact location quite right and instead appeared above Sweet Apple Acres, rather than on the outskirts of town…

“W-WHOA!!” Faust cried as she fell from the sky and into a tree. She brushed through branches, her saddlebags falling onto a nearby branch while her right rear fetlock got caught between two branches. The mare was thus left hanging upside down, her tail having fallen between her hind legs. She blinked for a moment and looked up to her stuck hoof and sighed. 'That just figures,' she thought and exhaled. She then tried to shake herself loose, but the branches were close enough together that her fetlock wouldn’t budge from its position.

She frowned and then tried to pull herself free with her wings. She flapped them and then fell flat as she continued to hung upside down. 'This is so undignified,' she thought to herself. She looked down / up and tried to kick at the branch that held her leg. Despite her efforts she missed the branch each time until she finally gave up. She hummed lightly and narrowed her eyes on the branch. She then looked to the ground and considered her options.

She could possibly break the branches with her magic of course. Yet she had a feeling the landing would be rather painful, and she'd much rather avoid that. She wasn't invulnerable after all, not even Celestia or Luna were invulnerable. Then again, it was humiliating for her to be trapped in a tree. She'd been through some of the worst dangers in history, she couldn't be bested by a mere tree! Not to mention her vacation couldn't even start until she managed to get down.

Unfortunately she could think of no other ideas to accomplish that feat. She already tried to shake herself loose, she tried to pull herself free, she tried to break the branch with a good buck, she even considered using her magic to break the branch, but that would have left her to fall and hurt herself. Again she is not a fan of pain. So she let out a huff and crossed her forelimbs over her chest and stared blankly at the ground.

“You know it just figures that the moment I leave my tower, something like this happens,” she groused unhappily. She also silently pondered what her next attempt for freedom should entail. She considered another teleportation spell, but given her last one she wasn’t so certain that was a good idea. “I might end up inside of a tree or something; I really need to practice more with that spell,” she admitted to herself. She then giggled quietly as she remembered that the Ponyville Library actually was inside a tree.

“That’d be just my luck, I’d end up inside of Twilight Sparkle’s Library and she’d freak out or something,” Faust noted mostly to herself before considering that and tapped her chin with her hoof for a moment. “You know that might not be such a bad idea; I haven’t pulled a prank like that in a quite while…” Faust considered for only a moment then brought a hoof up to her head with a grimace.

“I think all the blood is rushing to my head. I really need to get down.” She mused and then took a deep breath before attempting to lift herself with her back hoof. She made it surprisingly far before exhaling and falling back. Letting out a few panting breaths the mare glared down at her trapped hoof. “There is no way a hoof in a tree branch is keeping me here!” She growled out and then took in several more breaths in preparation.

Straining to heft her own weight up the mare groaned and winced as her fetlock was twisted painfully. Gritting her teeth the alicorn mare reached out with her forelimbs and wrapped them around a branch above her. Letting out panting breaths the mare smiled happily but heard a sudden crack and looked down. The branch instantly gave way and the mare cried out as she fell back and her head impacted with the tree.

Wincing in pain Faust brought her hooves to the back of her head and rubbed at what was quickly becoming a knot. Shaking her head the alicorn mare then glanced to the broken branch for a moment. She then let out a sigh and glanced at her flanks, idly wondering if maybe she’d indulged just a bit too much in her favorite snacks over the centuries…

“Maybe I need to exercise more.” She idly considered before remembering how hectic her work was, what with dodging random objects, flying after crazy scrolls, chasing runaway reports, and scaling veritable mountains of paperwork… “Never mind, I’m good.” Faust decided flatly and then closed her eyes and let out a soft sigh. A moment later her ears perked at a sudden sound of a twig snapping and she opened her eyes to find an orange blond maned mare staring at her in confusion.

“Uh, howdy there partner.” She offered unsurely while raising one hoof in greeting and then tilted her hat to one side. “Any reason y’all are hanging there?” The mare questioned and Faust breathed a sigh of relief seeing her. Mostly because now she could get down, preferably without pain, and finally start her vacation.

“Oh thank the stars, could you maybe get me down from here? I think the blood is rushing to my head and my hoof is starting to hurt.” Faust pleaded and the blond mare stared at her a moment longer before silently nodding her head. She then reached under her hat, a Stetson which Faust thought was cool, and pulled out a lasso. “Why do you have a lasso under your hat?” The mare questioned and Applejack smirked.

“Long story sugar cube, let’s just say I like having it when I need it.” The mare replied before spinning her lasso overhead and tossed it at Faust. The lasso looped around her trapped hoof and the blond mare yanked back pulling Faust free and causing her to fall with a yelp. The off-white mare fell and landed with a grunt, the fall depositing her in a heap and causing the tree to shake enough for her saddlebags to fall and land on top of her head.

“Ohhhh… well so much for getting down without pain…” Faust muttered under her breath as she brought her hooves to her head and groaned. Again, she is not a fan of, nor a supporter in pain of any sort. Wincing momentarily Applejack slowly approached the red maned mare and offered her a hoof.

“Sorry ‘bout that. You sure y’all are okay, miss?” Applejack asked the mare worriedly, Faust merely letting out another groan as she reached up and took hold of the offered hoof. Giving the Apple mare a grateful look as she was pulled back to her hooves, Faust quickly grabbed hold of her saddlebags and pulled them back on.

“It’s okay; I was teleporting from far away and didn’t take the time to think where I wanted to land besides outside of Ponyville. I really do need to practice more.” Faust replied while opening a wing and uses it to brush herself off, Applejack’s eyes bolting when she noticed that the mare had both a horn and wings. “But in any case I’m quite fine, thank you for asking.” Faust replied amicably as she stretched her wings a bit then folded them into her sides.

“Holy Sweet Celestia! Are you a princess?” The orange mare demanded while looking at her and Faust felt her eye twitch. She inwardly remembered her pre-decided cover-story was going to be while she was on vacation. However Applejack’s reaction to her wings and horn sort of made it seem like a Winged Unicorn was even rarer than she had originally thought. And that didn’t make much sense in her mind, what with the great number of Pegasus Unicorn couples.

“No, but you wouldn’t believe how many ponies think I am.” Faust finally replied with a giggle, telling more or less the truth and Applejack slowly nodded her head, calming down greatly. “I’m actually just a Winged Unicorn.” The white mare stated and started to brush herself off with a hoof. Applejack on the other hoof started to look at Faust funny, head tilted slightly as she scratched at her hair with one hoof.

“Uh… right… and the difference is?” Applejack questioned with a nervous look and Faust couldn’t help a giggle.

“A Winged Unicorn is simply a Unicorn with Wings. Such cases are often born from Unicorn families with high Pegasus heritage. A Winged Unicorn is every bit a unicorn, with no Earth Pony genetics to offer any strength, endurance, or stamina from that line. They have the ability to use magic and have wings, but their wings are too small to lift them on their own power.” Faust explained curtly and then stretched open one of her wings.

“See, my wings are short just like a Pegasus, but unlike a Pegasus I lack the magic necessary to allow me to fly. I can glide for short distances if I get a good running start, or potentially slow my descent if I fall from a great height, but I lack the wing size to actively fly on my own. A Princess Pony or “Alicorn” has both the intrinsic magic of a Pegasus as well as larger wings to allow them to fly.” Faust explained while Applejack stared at her for a long moment then slowly nodded her head.

“Huh, never heard of a pony like that before, though that does explain that one little filly in Apple Bloom’s class.” Applejack admitted and Faust thought for a moment, bringing a mental picture of the registry of Cheerilee’s class. Based on the registry she did have one filly with a horn and wings; however she was actually a Horned Pegasus, not a Winged Unicorn.

“If she had wings and a horn she could also be a Horned Pegasi, they are just as rare and are basically just a Pegasus with a horn. Just like a Winged Unicorn is just a Unicorn with Wings.” The ancient Archivist stated and Applejack blinked and then gave the mare a strange look.

“Y’all sure do know a lot, partner.” She noted and Faust rolled her eyes.

“I happen to be an Archivist back home; I take some time to read some of the records that pass me from time to time.” Faust explained simply while idly making sure that she hadn’t damaged her Saddlebags, they had originally been a gift from her friend Bowtie after all. Applejack silently watched the strange off-white mare for a moment, and then gave a bright smile.

“Well in any case, I should welcome ya to Sweet Apple Acres, the name’s…” Applejack started only for Faust to grin widely.

“You’re Applejack, Element of Honesty; you’re a worker here at Sweet Apple Acres, and a member of The Apple Clan. You’re special talent pertains to working here at Sweet Apple Acres and on most days you are either Apple-Bucking or out in town selling apples at your families stand.” Faust reported with a smile while Applejack just stared at the mare with her mouth agape.

Faust then stopped as she realized she was now expected to give Applejack her own name in return. However she couldn’t quite decide whether or not she should use her real name or some kind of pseudonym. Admittedly she wasn’t a well-known pony by any stretch of the imagination due to her centuries of isolation. However even she had to admit that her name, Faust, which had nothing to do with her special talent or cutie-mark, was quite strange to modern ponies.

That was because she came from a time before pony’s names always matched their cutie-mark or special talent. For instance, her friend Firefly was a speedster; whose special talent had been stunts, her cutie-mark had been twin lightning bolts. Her friend Surprise had had three balloons, and her special talent had been, big surprise, surprising ponies. Her friend Glory had been a tom-colt who loved rolling around on a pair of roller skates, and her cutie-mark was a shooting star.

Then again Inkwell was the only name she could possibly use that she could think of. But as far as she knew there was already an Inkwell in Trottingham, and another somewhere in manehattan, and if those papers to change location had finally gone through another lived in Canterlot. Plus, it wasn’t like Faust wanted to change her name, and this was The Element of Honesty, not telling Applejack her true name was the easiest way to earn her suspicion.

Her mental quandary complete, and Applejack still gaping at her, Faust smiled towards the apple-mare. “Well in any case it’s very nice to meet you Applejack, I’m Faust the Archivist.” Faust offered while picking up one of Applejack’s hooves and shaking it in a friendly shake.

“Buh…” The mare replied while still staring at Faust in wide eyed shock.

“Anyways I’m sorry about that bit of business earlier, I’m sort of taking a holiday from work and as you can plainly see my practice with Teloportation Spells is severely under par.” Faust explained before glancing to the sky and widening her eyes. “Oh dear, is it really so late already, where does the time go?” She questioned before giving Applejack another smile. “In any case I must be off, have a wonderful day miss Applejack.” Faust bade as she turned on her hoof and cantered off, Applejack still looking at her in shock.

“Oh wait!” Faust then stated and turned back towards the apple mare. “You might want to tell Big Macintosh that he can write off medical expenses on your taxes and any charity work as well, you might be surprised by how much that helps. Bye now!” Faust offered with a friendly wave as she trotted down the road for Ponyville while Applejack stared at her retreating form.

“Sweet Celestia above, how in the hay did she know all that!?” Applejack demanded before shaking her head and narrowing her eyes. Applejack wasn’t normally a suspicious mare, but the fact that this “Faust” knew so much about her and her family just didn’t sit right with her. It was also something else though, when she mentioned being a winged Unicorn she could swear that the mare was lying, but she wasn’t lying about not being a princess…

“I’m gonna go ask Twilight about an Archivist named “Faust”. An’ really, what kind a name is Faust for an Archivist?” Applejack wondered before dashing off in the direction of Ponyville Library, taking the quickest way that also deviated off of the path Faust was taking.

--

Faust hummed a familiar tune as she made her way through Sweet Apple Acres and then out onto the road to Ponyville. Glancing to the sky the mare let out a happy sigh as the fresh morning air passed by. “This really was a good idea. No scrolls, no books, no records, just a bright sunny day with nothing to do.” Faust noted aloud, and idly wondered why she didn’t ever seem think anything to herself, before shrugging it off.

Returning to her humming, Faust found her hooves moving in time with the tune, a song coming to mind from when she was young. “My little pony, my little pony, isn’t the world a lovely place. My little pony, my little pony, everywhere you go a smiling face! Running and skipping, merrily tripping, watching the morning unfold. My little pony, my little pony, what does the future hold?” The mare sang softly before humming once more as she went along her way and crossed an old bridge into Ponyville.

“Jolly and pleasant, just for the present, no sign of trouble in sight, my little pony, my little pony, may all your days be bright. May all your days be bright…” The mare finished softly, stray tears forming at the corners of her eyes as she entered Ponyville and let out a sigh. “Great, I want to relax and enjoy myself on my first vacation and as soon as I stop working I start thinking about my old friends.” She murmured under her breath with her ears folded back.

She only partially noticed that as she passed by she left more than a few startled ponies. Clearly they were shocked by her appearance. In the back of her mind mentally groaned at the fact it meant that Winged Unicorns were still quite rare in Equestria. “You’d think with all the Pegasus Unicorn couples in Equestria more would start popping up.” She noted as she had seen every marriage certificate in all of Equestria and knew the numbers quite well.

“More what?” A bouncy voice that sounded heartbreakingly like her friend Surprise asked from her side and she let out a sigh.

“Winged Unicorns. They have a horn and wings but aren’t Princess Ponies or rather “Alicorns” as some term them.” Faust replied quickly, never missing a beat and practically incapable of restraining the vast well of knowledge she held.

“Oooh, is that what you are then?” The voice questioned and Faust idly nodded her head as she glanced here and there and her eyes fell on a green mare that looked like her and Firefly’s old friend Medley. She had the same coat, the same face, even the same cutie-mark! “Well silly me, I was thinking you were a princess, a small princess but still a princess!” The bubbly voice noted and Faust idly nodded her head as she had to practically tear her eyes away from the green mare.

“Yeah, I get that a lot. But I’m in no way a princess, never have been and never will be if I have anything to say about it. They have way too many expectations and important decisions than I could handle.” Faust replied and finally realized some pony was holding a conversation with her, thus finally drew her attention and surprised her greatly.

“Hello!” The blindingly pink mare with a pink coat and darker pink mane and tail declared happily, her brilliant blue eyes shining brightly. The mare, while a pink Earth Pony, greatly resembled her old Pegasus friend Surprise to an extent that made her wonder if they were related. She inwardly admitted it was a very likely possibility considering she was ten thousand years old… give or take.

“Hi, I…” Faust started to say only for Pinkie to cut her off.

“No no, allow me! I’m really getting good at guessing games!” The pink party pony declared as she circled around Faust for a moment. Stopping at her saddlebags she tapped her chin with a hum and then moved to look at her cutie-mark. Nodding her head the pony then took note of her wings and horn as well as her coat and mane color. The mare finished examining her by staring at her face, particularly her blue eyes and the slight bags beneath them.

“Alright I’ll guess your name is, Inkwell!” Pinkie tried and Faust smirked before shaking her head to the negative. “Really? Well shoot.” Pinkie grumbled for only a moment before tapping at her head in thought. “Hmm, well how about, Quill Point?” She asked and again Faust shook her head with a smirk. “Awww wrong again? Pen Stroke?” She asked and Faust giggled slightly while shaking her head in the negative.

“Dark Swan?” She asked and Faust raised a brow at that one before shaking her head once more. Pinkie growled at this point and started to tap her head and pace in front of the off-white mare with a frown. “Frankie Foster?” She asked hopefully and Faust briefly wondered why that name sounded so familiar before shaking her head again. Letting out a breath Pinkie fell down and started to rub her chin with a contemplative look on her face.

“Wow, your name is really hard to figure out…” Pinkie mumbled and then dashed back to her saddlebags and checked them over once more. “Hmm… oh hey! Your name is written in these, silly me.” Pinkie noted with a giggle and then zipped back in front of the auburn haired mare. “Hello Miss Faust, nice to meet you!” Pinkie declared and Faust rolled her eyes with a smile.

“It’s a pleasure I’m sure, and it’s just Faust, no miss needed.” Faust replied and Pinkie smiled happily.

“Okey Dokey Lokey, Faustie!” The pink mare declared while bouncing around the red head and then suddenly stopped in front of her with a wide grin. “Now I totally bet you can’t guess my name! Can you, can you, can you?” Pinkie challenged of the off-white mare and Faust merely rolled her eyes and looked her up and then down.

“You are Pinkamena Diane Pie, better known as Pinkie-Pie, Element of Laughter who works at Sugar Cube Corner, party pony extraordinaire, friend to ever pony in Ponyville and I mean every pony, and you’re also the unofficial welcome wagon. Your cutie-mark pertains to parties, and on most days you are either baking at Sugar Cube Corner, or of course throwing a party.” Faust recited much as she had with Applejack and saw a bright smile cross the mare’s face.

“You’re totally correct! Oh that was a really good guess, and if I could I would totally give you an awesome prize too… in fact!” Pinkie exclaimed before stopping and then jumped into a nearby bush before jumping back out and holding a present to the off-white mare.

“Where did you get that present?” Faust questioned with a look of shock and Pinkie grinned.

“I have them stashed all over Ponyville, in case of present or prize emergencies. You never know when a Pony’ll need a present to cheer ‘em up or a prize for doing something amazing.” The pink mare replied while Faust took the present, looked at it, and then smiled gratefully.

“Thank you, I don’t really get presents very often.” Faust supplied while slipping the present into her saddlebags while Pinkie continued to smile.

“Aw shucks it’s nothing Faustie, but how did you guess all that by just looking at me? Are you psychic? Ooh ooh ooh! Tell me what I’m thinking right now!” The mare demanded while putting her hooves to her head and concentrating hard on a single thought. Faust couldn’t help a snicker as she watched the Party Pony, and then rolled her eyes.

“No I’m not psychic, I’m an archivist and a lot of records pass through my place of work.” Faust replied and Pinkie opened one eye with a disappointed look.

“So you really can’t read minds? Not even a little?” She asked hopefully and Faust giggled.

“No I’m afraid not, my special talent is technically in writing not reading minds.” Faust replied with a nudge in the direction of her flank which Pinkie only spared a passing glance at.

“Aww… I wanted to meet a psychic pony.” Pinkie said with a pout, Faust patting her on the head.

“Oh don’t be like that, not when you get to do your patented Welcome song and dance for me.” Faust reminded, as Pinkie actually had patented the song and the dance for some reason. As soon as Faust’s suggestion registered in Pinkie’s brain, her eyes lit up and she grinned widely.

“You’re right!” The mare declared happily while jumping up to her hooves and reached over to the side to pull her, also patented, welcome-wagon forward. Clearing her throat for a moment the mare then pressed a button on the wagon. The wagon instantly opened up to produce a number of baked goods, several different horns, multiple waving flags, as well as a working oven.

“Welcome, welcome, welcome, a fine welcome to you!” The pink mare sang as she bounced around the still smiling mare. “Welcome, welcome, welcome, I say how do you do.” The mare continued while putting a party hat onto Faust’s head. “Welcome, welcome, welcome, I say hip hip hooray!” The mare continued to sing as she played a large drum and continued to circle around the off-white mare.

“Welcome, welcome, welcome to Ponyville todaaaaayyyy!” The mare finished singing while dancing around and then jumped into a slide forward with her forelimbs held to her sides in the air. “Wait for it…” She added while glancing back and a cake popped out of the oven and confetti shot out of several pipes beside it. “Hey I remembered where to put everything this time!” Pinkie said happily before bringing the cake to Faust, her eyes sparkling when she saw it.

“Cake, I haven’t had a descent cake in like… forever.” Faust muttered quietly, the main reason for that being that she wasn’t exactly the best baker in Equestria.

“Really? Well then you’re really in for one heck of a treat! This is one of my special one of a kind welcome cakes, free of charge and guaranteed to be absolutely positively delicious!” Pinkie declared brightly and Faust didn’t dare take her eyes off of the treat before biting her lip.

“Oh thank you Pinkie, but I don’t think I can eat it all by myself… would you maybe want to share?” Faust questioned unsurely and Pinkies eyes began to sparkle.

“Oh boy would I ever! I love eating cake with friends almost as much as I love baking them for friends!” The mare declared and quickly kicked her wagon, a knife shooting out of it which Pinkie quickly grabbed and cut herself and Faust a piece each. Smiling to one another they each took a bite of the cake. An instant later Faust eyes sparkled and she practically inhaled her slice of cake with a shudder of delight, Pinkie giggling when she did.

“So Faustie, where are you heading now?” Pinkie asked as she kicked her wagon once more, causing it to fold back into itself. Blinking at the question, Faust hummed lightly and thought about what she had planned… then realized she had no bits for a hotel or friends to stay with.

“Oops, I knew I was forgetting something.” The mare muttered with a groan and brought her hoof over her face, then sighed as she looked to the expectant Pinkie. “I’m… honestly not sure. I just sort of walked into town not too long ago and figured I’d try and find a place to stay for the night.” The off-white mare replied and Pinkie gasped dramatically.

“Wait you mean you don’t have any place to stay!?” She demanded and Faust slowly shook her head. “Oh there is no way I can let a new friend be out in the cold all night! I was going to throw you a surprise party, but that can wait. How ‘bout you stay with me tonight and we can find you a better place in the morning?” Pinkie asked the off-white mare seriously, Faust seeming a tad unsure.

“Are you sure that’d be alright? Would Mister and Misses Cake really be alright with you having a strange mare stay with them and the twins?” Faust asked the pink party pony and the mare waved it off with a bright smile. The mare simply brought Faust close in a half hug and ignored the fact that she knew far too much about her to be normal.

“Aw don’t worry your pretty head, your auntie Pinkie Pie will take care of everything.” The pink party pony replied and a smirk crossed Faust’s features. Had the pink party pony been aware of just how old she was, pushing ten thousand years old and still counting, she’d understand how ludicrous the idea of her being her aunt really was.

“Trust me Pinkie; I am far too old for you to be my aunt.” Faust stated and Pinkie snickered for a moment and patted her on the head.

“Well if you are, you look really good for your age Faustie! I could swear that you look younger than I do!” Pinkie responded while Faust looked more than a little guilty at that, and then shook her head. Eternal youth did have some perks, she’d admit that, but she had never really been one to obsess over her appearance.

“Yeah… well anyways, I guess staying with you would be alright Pinkie…” Faust replied slowly before a bright smile crossed her features. “In fact that’d be wonderfully kind of you.” The off-white mare replied and Pinkie hopped up and down.

“Alrightie then, Faustie! Let’s head to Sugar-Cube Corner, and tomorrow I can throw you a proper welcome party!” The Pink mare declared while bouncing in the direction of her home / place of work. Following behind her at a sedate pace the off-white mare had a sudden idea and quickly caught up with the party pony.

“You know Pinkie, we might not be able to have a welcome party, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a slumber party.” Faust offered and the pink pony grinned in response and practically buzzed with excitement.

“Oh you are so totally right Faustie! Why didn’t I think of that, I mean I’ve never really had a slumber party before, well I have but that was back when I was a filly with my sisters, so this would totally be my first Slumber Party with a friend instead of my sisters. And we’ll totally have fun and play games and maybe even tell scary stories and…” The Pink Party Pony Prattled on as she pranced through Ponyville.

Faust stifled a giggle as she followed the bubbly pink mare through the streets of Ponyville. While she seemed to have a bit of a rocky start she was glad that she was already making friends on her trip. All and all it was looking like this was going to be just what the doctor had ordered… wait, speaking of doctors, was that Time Turner? It was! Inwardly the off-white smiled as it seemed her old friend was still around and made a mental note to drop in on him sometime…

--

Twilight Sparkle, student to Princess Celestia and Element of Magic galloped around her library. Ever since Applejack had mentioned her new acquaintances name the lavender mare had been desperately searching for a book. “No, that’s not it.” She muttered while tossing a book away and then galloped to the other side of the library. Spike and Applejack watched her as she did, idly turning their heads as she went this way and that in search of some lost information.

“Uh, sorry ‘bout this Spike, I had no idea she’d go and get so worked up over that mares name.” Applejack apologized, knowing that it’d be the baby dragon who would be putting all the books away when Twilight was done. Said baby dragon watched on with a flat expression as his older sister figure tore through the library in her quest for knowledge.

“It’s no problem AJ; I’m actually kind of used to this.” The Baby dragon responded as they watched Twilight pull several books off one of the top shelves and he sighed. “I just wish the books on the top shelves were easier to put back…” He stated with a sigh and both looked up as Twilight was buried under a sudden avalanche of books.

“Twilight!” Applejack and spike cried out before quickly rushing over to dig out the mare, only for an explosion of books to hold them at bay. The said purple mare emerged from the depths of the books with a triumphant grin, holding an old book in her magic’s glow.

“Aha! I knew we had a copy of equestrian names and their roots somewhere around here.” Twilight declared with a smile as she trotted out of the books and Spike groaned.

“I’ll get the broom…” He grumbled as he went off to the side, Twilight idly nodding her head as she looked through the book.

“You do that Spike, now then AJ are you sure her name was Faust?” Twilight questioned of her blond friend and Applejack blinked before nodding her head.

“Yeah an’ like I said before, she was right strange, she knew things she shouldn’t have known and had both wings and a horn but wasn’t a princess, and she weren’t lying ‘bout that part neither. She also said she was an Archivist or somethin’ so I figured you’d have known her.” Applejack replied and Twilight idly nodded her head with a hum, looking through the book silently before finally stopping.

“I know and that’s actually what surprised me. I knew every Archivist in Canterlot and I’ve never heard of a Faust. At first I considered the possibility she worked in the Cloudsdale Archives but given the fact that she’d clearly seen ponyville records, Tax records at that, I knew something was wrong.” Twilight explained as she turned back to her book and Applejack looked at it from over her shoulder.

“A’ight, then who the Sam hill is that filly and how the hay did she know so much ‘bout me and my family! I mean how’d she know Mac never took off medical or charity expenses from our taxes?” Applejack wondered and that caused Twilight to blink and look at her strangely.

“He didn’t?” She asked curiously and Applejack rolled her eyes.

“Sugarcube, Mac is a smart cookie but even he don’ know everythin’ ‘bout them fancy numbers an’ such.” Applejack replied and Twilight slowly nodded her head before looking back to the book she’d been searching for.

“Yes and I agree with you AJ, such knowledge alone is disturbing. I even sent a letter to Princess Celestia to ask her if someone has broken into the Canterlot Archives recently, but this “Faust” of yours doesn’t sound like a bad mare by any stretch of the imagination.” Twilight noted while stopping and narrowing her eyes on the book. Its contents were rather straightforward, but the single passage on the name “Faust” was somewhat unusual.

“I know and that was the weird part, she was so… so nice an’ open, it was kind of refreshing but with all she knew ‘bout me it was also kind of creepy.” Applejack replied with a shiver as Spike approached them from behind with his broom.

“If you ask me you’re just overreacting, maybe she’s a retired clerk from one of the tax collection agencies or something and got a new job as an archivist.” Spike offered and Twilight stopped to consider that possibility however shook her head.

“Unfortunately Spike, she knew more than just taxes. She knew Applejacks special talent, her home, her family, her daily routine, and her element of harmony. None of which is hidden, but for a mare who only just came into town that’s a bit too much to be normal.” Twilight explained and Spike frowned and scratched his head, trying to come up with a better explanation.

“What’s even weirder is her name! I mean who ever heard of an Archivist named Faust before?” Applejack questioned with a huff and Twilight glanced at her friend before letting out a sigh.

“Actually Faust is like Celestia, a single word name which is used by only one mare in all of history. Luna and cadence are as well, but to a much lesser extent. Ponies will use Celestial or Lunar in their children’s names if they wish to honor the princesses or name them after them. Faust on the other hand is a rare and almost unheard of name dating back to before the pre-classical era.” Twilight explained as she read the passage on that name.

“So what does that mean?” Spike questioned and Twilight raised a hoof for a moment, before humming and rubbing her chin.

“Honestly, it could mean her parents had a good idea of what her special talent would be when she grew up.” Twilight replied and AJ raised a brow then looked at the passage with a frown.

“Faust is a name of unknown origin; the earliest known use is given to an Alicorn of unknown origins from before the pre-classical-era said to have been an Archivist.” Applejack read and then raised a brow as she thought back to the Faust she’d met.

“Wait, an Archivist of what?” Spike questioned and Twilight shrugged her shoulders.

“Sadly all documentation from before The Pre-Classical Era is sketchy at best. There’s barely a mention of a mare named Faust here, let alone any kind of record of what she archived. All that’s still known about her is her name.” Twilight replied and both Spike and Applejack looked to one another before glancing back at the purple mare.

“An’ this has what to do with that mare I met?” Applejack questioned and Twilight looked at her for a moment before bringing her hoof to her face and shaking her head. As AJ and Twilight went back to their discussion, the Baby Dragon decided he didn’t really want to know any more about this weird mare and went back to cleaning the library. As far as he was concerned AJ was just overreacting, and even if she wasn’t the guard would deal with this “Faust” eventually.

“Think about it Applejack, what’s that mare’s job?” Twilight questioned of her friend flatly and Applejack raised a brow.

“Well she’s an Archivist.” Applejack replied and Twilight nodded her head.

“Exactly! She’s an Archivist, Faust is the name of an Archivist, thus your idea that it doesn’t fit is incorrect. She’s actually in the perfect line of work to have that name.” Twilight replied with a nod of her head before closing the book and sending it back to its place on the shelves.

“A’ight I’ll give you that one Twilight, but that still don’ explain why she knew so much ‘bout me an’ my family.” Applejack reminded stubbornly and Twilight nodded her head in agreement with the apple mare.

“True, that’s why we’ll just have to wait until Princess Celestia replies to my letter before we decide what we should do next. For all we know she could be a normal archivist, although I still find how much she knew about you disturbing, it’s nothing really damning if she has a relative who lives around here.” Twilight replied and a sour look crossed Applejack’s face.

“I don’ know Twilight, it doesn’t seem normal for a mare of any kind to know that much.” Applejack replied and Twilight idly nodded her head, admitting that there were indeed some things that no pony should know.

“I know AJ, but for now let’s just let it be.” Twilight stated and Applejack glanced out a window.

“A’ight I’ll wait, but if Celestia says something’s fishy ‘bout her I want to be the first to know.” Applejack stated with a stern look and Twilight nodded her head in understanding. She’d be just as cautious if this strange Archivist knew that much about her after all, it just wasn’t normal. “In any case I’ll see y’all later sugar-cube.” AJ stated with a tip of her hat and made her way back to Sweet Apple Acres, leaving Spike and Twilight to their own devices.

“Since AJ’s gone now, you want to tell me what you really think of this “Faust” mare?” Spike asked as he passed by his sister figure, Twilight letting out a breath.

“My thoughts are that I don’t know what to think about her right now. I’ve never met her and so I reserve the right to wait until I do before I make any kind of decision.” Twilight replied honestly and Spike nodded his head in agreement.

“Seems like the best thing to me, I still think AJ is just overreacting.” Spike assured as he picked up a stack of books and idly sorted through them. As he did Twilight rubbed her chin and tried to think of a time where AJ had ever overreacted to some pony new. The only time she could think of was with Zecora, but that wasn’t the same. AJ had been scared of Zecora, she was just suspicious of this new mare and given how much she knew of AJ, it was for good reason.

“I certainly hope you’re right Spike.” Twilight whispered quietly as one of Celestia’s lessons suddenly struck her with an ominous feeling. “Magic is powerful, but knowledge is the greatest weapon of them all.” Twilight murmured to herself as she picked up a couple of books with her magic and sent them flying back onto the shelves…

--

Faust and Pinkie had made it to Sugar-Cube Corner with much incident. The Cake’s had been more than willing to let the off-white mare stay for the evening. In fact Faust found them just a little too accommodating, but decided not to comment on it. Thus far Faust had been enjoying a the simple little slumber party with Pinkie. She’d even opened the prize / present she had gotten earlier, now finding herself on green sweat shirt richer.

She wasn’t sure why but she absolutely loved the sweat shirt, it was comfortable and had a zipper for when it got cold and a hood hanging from the back. In fact she was already wearing it while sitting on a sleeping bag, the sweater strangely loose on her frame and would likely fit her even in her full size. How Pinkie did that was beyond even Faust’s well of Knowledge. But as it began to get dark and Luna’s moon started to rise, it was clear that it was time to sleep at last.

Unfortunately she’d had one minor problem sense earlier…

“Achoo!” Faust had found herself sneezing quite a bit all evening. She idly wondered who could possibly be talking behind her back since she barely knew any pony in Ponyville, and one of them was right in front of her! Wiping at her nose with a sleeve of her new green sweater, the off-white mare slid her hind legs into her sleeping bag while Pinkie looked down at her from her bed in worry.

“Are you absolutely sure that you’re okay Faustie, I mean I’m fine getting sick but the Cake Twins are only foals.” Pinkie reminded and the off-white held up a hoof and nodded her head in understanding.

“Yeah I’m fine; I think some pony has just been talking about me is all.” The red maned mare replied with a smile and Pinkie giggled while sitting back on her bed.

“I always thought that was just a silly old superstition!” Pinkie declared and Faust shrugged her shoulders.

“You’d think so, but I’ve actually seen enough records of and research into the matter to say that it’s likely a very real phenomenon.” Faust replied while happily snuggling into her oversized sweater and Pinkie’s curiosity was clearly peaked.

“Really? Oh that is so cool!” Pinkie declared brightly before a sudden thought struck her. “Ooh! What else isn’t just a superstition? Like, can you really break your mothers back by stepping on a crack?” The pink part pony questioned of the off-white mare and Faust laughed lightly.

“Well no, that really is just a superstition.” Faust admitted and then took a moment to think of the different superstitions that were out there. “However I can confirm that old myth about a Pegasus wings is very real.” Faust stated with a smile and Pinkie snickered to herself.

“Really?” Pinkie questioned eagerly, the off-white mare silently nodding to the affirmative and sending the pink mare into a fit of laughter. Quickly regaining her composure the pink party pony took several breaths before wiping a tear from her eye. “Rainbow Dash always told me it was a bunch of garbage spread by unicorns because of their horns!” The Pink mare admitted with a giggle and Faust chuckled lightly.

“There’s actually a study on it called “Mood Wings”, it’s really quite fascinating but I have to admit he should’ve put the warning about staring at their wings in the front.” Faust replied and sent Pinkie into a fit of laughter even greater than before, but quickly stuffed a hoof into her mouth to quiet herself. Calming herself soon after the bubbly pink mare looked to her new friend excitedly.

“So are those rumors about a unicorn’s horn true as well?” The pink mare questioned and Faust rolled her eyes.

“No. The horn is incapable of transferring feelings of pain or pleasure because there are no nerves on it. Those rumors are actually unfounded and came from the fact that during instances of high emotional stress a Unicorn will often have some trouble controlling his or her magic.” Faust explained and Pinkie made an oh with her mouth and considered some other rumors she had always thought were fake.

“Ummm… I can’t think of anything else to ask about.” Pinkie admitted with a pout, then grinned at her new friend. “But boy Faustie you really know a lot about all kinds of interesting stuff!” Pinkie declared while hopping on her bed and Faust chuckled nervously while rubbing the back of her neck.

“Who me? Nah, I’m just really well read is all.” The mare replied truthfully, since she really didn’t get out much, and Pinkie nodded her head in agreement.

“Yeah I know! And that’s why you should totally meet my friend Twilight sometime. I mean you’re a smart pony and she’s a smart pony I bet you two would totally get along. I bet you could swap stories or compare your favorite books or talk about those research papers you know so much about.” The pink mare declared and Faust considered doing that, before reaching a hoof to her stiff shoulders.

“Actually, I kind of think I should visit that spa in town before I do anything else. My job is actually really stressful and I could use a nice relaxing day there.” Faust reported as she stretched out one wing and shuddering as several pops sounded from it. Upon hearing the mess of pops from the single wing Pinkie leaped over to Faust and tapped her back. Both of the off-white mare’s wings shooting from her sides like lightning bolts, and greatly annoying her.

“Oh wow you aren’t kidding Faustie; you’re even more stressed out than Dashie was at the best young fliers’ competition.” Pinkie stated with no small amount of surprise, then steeled her resolve. “You’re totally right about going to that spa, Aloe and Lotus will fix you up, and then you can meet the rest of my friends!” The mare decided and Faust gave her a grateful look in response as the pink party pony quickly hopped back into her bed.

“Thanks Pinkie, you’re a good friend.” Faust offered and brought a bright smile from the pink party pony.

“Oh it’s nothing really, I love seeing all my friends happy! Sometimes they need a party so they can meet a lot of ponies and make a lot of friends. Other times all they need is to relax and lose all the stresses in their life. But whatever it is they need Pinkie Pie will always be there to help!” The Pink Party Pony declared quite proudly and Faust almost reminded the party pony of a certain “Cranky Doodle Donkey” but felt that would be in bad taste.

“Well thanks anyways Pinkie, see you in the morning.” Faust offered with a yawn, her host silently nodding her head before turning out the lights and slipping under the covers. Shifting into her sleeping bag and snuggling into her new sweater, the off-white mare stared at the star filled sky outside of the window. Closing her own eyes, Faust smiled as she quietly fell to sleep, wondering what the new day would bring…

--

TBC…

Author's Note:

Hello again, I managed to finish this one fairly quickly I think. In any case I hope you're enjoying the story and I know it's starting off kind of slow, but I'm trying to set up everything. Admittedly Faust's meetings with all the Mane six won't be the same, as seen she can't really quell her well of knowledge and blurts out information without really meaning too. This will definitely get her in trouble later, to be sure.